Bruno Tonioli

Bruno Tonioli (Italian pronunciation: [ˈbruno tonˈ[ijɔli]]; born 25 November 1955) is a British-Italian television personality, choreographer and dancer.

In 1980, as part of the group Duke and the Aces, Tonioli performed in but did not win the United Kingdom's competition to select an entry for the Eurovision Song Contest.

[1] Tonioli has worked in the music business as a choreographer for music videos, stage shows, and tours for artists such as Tina Turner, Sting, Elton John, the Rolling Stones, Freddie Mercury, Sinitta, Boy George, Dead or Alive, Bananarama, and Duran Duran.

However, not knowing the rules of the show, he mistakenly pressed it during the performance instead of waiting until the end, as had been the case since the Golden Buzzer was introduced in 2014.

[7][8] Tonioli then went on to break the rules by pressing it again in the sixth episode, this time for singer Gamal John, who made history as the first ever golden buzzer act to not have the gold confetti fall on him.

[12][13] In addition, Tonioli was also involved in the ABC talent competition Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann.

Dancing With the Stars, Tonioli called Cheetah Girl Sabrina Bryan "a little lynx on the prowl"[15] and labelled singer and actor Billy Ray Cyrus "a crazy bear lost in a swamp".

[16] The lowest score Tonioli has ever given a contestant was a '2', awarded only once on Dancing with the Stars, to Master P and his partner Ashly DelGrosso for their Paso Doble.

[29] He has lived in London since 1975[30] but owns a property in Los Angeles for commitments in the U.S.[31] Tonioli is gay and has spoken of the homophobic bullying he suffered in his youth.

Bruno Tonioli at Wembley in 2009
Tonioli in 2022